Card clothing cleaner



Jan. 25, 1955 F. E. ROWE, JR

CARD CLOTHING CLEANER Filed May 24, 1951 lllll II II FflwWEIBowe J31,

Unitd States Patent cann CLOTHING CLEANER Frank E. Rowe, in, Hingham, Mass, assignor to Abington Textile Machinery Works, North Abington, Mass., a trust of Massachusetts Application May 24, 1951, Serial No. 228,054

in Claims. (Cl. 19- 109) This invention relates to means for cleaning the card clothing or a carding machine. The invention is usable With an kinds or carding machines and is capable of cleaning the card clothing or any and all types of fibers that may be embedded therein.

Vacuum or suction nozzles have been used heretofore for removing embedded fibers from the wires of card clothing on various elements of carding machines such as the cylinders, workers, strippers, doners and fancies. Special installations have been utilized in which a vacuum nozzle 18 mounted on traversing mechanism to pass slowly back and rorth across the clothing close to the wires. With a substantial negative pressure in the nozzle the adjacent exterior air moves towards the nozzle and, if the fibers are not embedded too deeply, the inrushing air will, in part, get under the fibers as it moves toward the nozzle, thus llillll the fibers from the wire, thereby cleaning the clothing.

'1 his arrangement has been generally effective where the fibers are not embedded too tightly. 0n the other hand, if the fibers are embedded tightly or if the clothing is of such character that the length of the wires is relatively short so that the embedded fibers are resting on the clothing foundation or the intermediate felt, if one has been used, then the air moving toward the vacuum nozzle is unable to get under the fibers and hence cannot liberate the fibers and clean the clothing.

The invention which is disclosed hereinafter has been designed to overcome the inability of the present vacuum nozzle to clean effectively card clothing under all conditions. The present invention may be substituted for existing vacuum nozzles now mounted on carding machines whereby the traversing mechanism may move my new cleaning nozzle back and forth .over the clothing in the usual manner. in addition, my new nozzle may be moved by hand if desired or necessary.

The present invention contemplates the directing of air under adequate pressure toward the clothing at an angle and at an area adjacent the vacuum nozzle 'so that the high velocity air stream will disturb and free the embedded fibers sufliciently whereby the reflected high velocity air stream and the additional surrounding air that will be drawn into the nozzle by the negative pressure therein will effectively carry into the nozzle all of the fibers from the wires whether or not the wires be short or long and regardless of the depth to which the fibers are embedded m the wires.

The invention will be more fully understood as the description proceeds with the aid of the accompanying drawings in which Fig. l is a fragmentary sectional elevation of a carding cylinder showing the general relation of the pressure and vacuum nozzles to the cylinder clothing.

Fig. 2 is an elevation of the nozzle at approximately full size showing its position in relation to the clothing on the cylinder.

Fig. 3 is an elevation looking from the right of Fig. 2 with the nozzle broken away in part. i r

Fig. 4 is a bottom view looking up toward the bottom of the nozzle as shown in Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary section of a cylinder showing 2,700,190 Patented Jan. 25, 1955 2 of a carding engine having an outer cylindrical shell 4 on which is atfixed the card clothing 6. Positioned adjacent the cylinder in the usual manner are the customary workers 8 and strippers 10.

Extending across the carding engine and located at a convenient distance above the cylinder is traversing mechanism 12 for moving the cleaning; nozzle 14 back and forth across the cylinder with its end close to the wires of the clothing. This traversing mechanism for carrying a suction nozzle is in common use and well known in the industry and consists in general of two transverse shafts 16 and 18 having reversing threads cut therein which are effective to move a supporting member 20 back and forth as the shafts 16 and 18 are rotated. As this traversing mechanism is old and constitutes no part of the invention, further description will be omitted.

The nozzle of the present invention referred to generally at 14 in Fig. l is shown in greater detail in Figs. 2, 3 and 4. The nozzle as previously explained in general terms consists of a high pressure air supply portion and a vacuum element into which the fibers are drawn upon being loosened by the high pressure air stream.

In Figs. 2, 3 and 4 the high pressure system comprises a pipe 22 connected with any suitable source of compressed air which pipe leads into a distributing block 24 and to which it is connected by a nipple 26. In the block 24 are diverging air passages 28 and 30 which lead to a transverse manifold 32. This manifold has its ends closed by screw threaded plugs 34 and 36. Ex tending downwardly from manifold 32 and in a sloping direction toward the vacuum nozzle and toward the direction of rotation of the cylinder during the cleaning operation are three air blasts passages 38, and 42. The outer two passages 38 and 42 converge toward passage 40 and the angularity of the three passages is such as to produce a concentrated air blast of high velocity which will be sufiicient to dislodge from the wires all of the fibers within the confines of the outer edges of the blast as defined by the air coming: from passages 38 and 42.,

Adjacent the high pressure air pipe 22 is the vacuum element of the nozzle having cylindrical upper portion 44 which is flattened to a rectangular section 46 at its lower end. The vacuum nozzle is secured to block 24 by side plates 48 which are shown as riveted to the vacuum nozzle at 50 and screwed to the block at 52. In this way the block 24 and the vacuum nozzle 46 constitute a single unit in which all of the parts are fixed with respect to each other.

As shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the nozzle is placed so that its lower end is immediately above the wires of the card clothing 6. The clothing shown in Figs. 2 and 3, and which is carried by the cylinder 4, comprises a foundation 54, a felt 56 and the multiplicity of conventional wires 58. With the felt 56 present, the length of the exposed portions of wires 53 is relatively short so that the fibers 60 become in time Well embedded and rest directly on the outer surface of felt .56.

The nozzle disclosed herein is capable when used with proper air blast pressures and negative suction pressures of dislodging the embedded fibers even though resting conventional card clothing with relatively long wires above the foundation.

Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 5 but in which the card clothing has a layer of felt above the foundation resulting in shortening the extending wires.

Referring to Fig. 1, there is shown in section a cylinder directly onfelt 56 sufi'iciently from the: wires so that the air from the air blast combined with the additional air rushing in laterally as demanded by the negative pressure in the vacuum portion of the nozzle will remove all fibers that are within the path of the high velocity converging air streams from ports 38, 40 and 42. The traversing mechanism is so geared with respect to the rate of rotation of the cylinder that the vacuum nozzle will in time be effective over the entire surface of the card clothing. It will be understood that if necessary the cleaning nozzle may make two or more passes over theclothing to insure that al removed from the wires.

The illustration in Fig. 3 shows that the air blast is generally in the clockwise direction of the surface of the cylinder. Likewisethe outer ends of wires 58 are inclined to the right in the clockwise direction. Thus for the purpose of definition, it may be said that the air blast while hitting the surface of the cylinder at an angle 1 of the fibers have been which if extended would be a chord of the cylinder is in the same general circumferential direction as that toward which the ends of the wires are inclined. The air as it is reflected from the cylinder will flow along the wires toward their ends to carry off the embedded fibers. The cylinder preferably rotates clockwise during the cleaning operation as the parts are herein viewed in the drawings. Since it is customary under existing cleaning methods using vacuum only to rotate the cylinders at a substantial peripheral speed, it is obvious that the air blast against the moving wires must be of a velocity to exceed the peripheral speed of the cylinder sufficiently to cause dislodgement of the embedded fibers but must not be of such high velocity as to dislodge and blow the fibers laterally away from the vacuum nozzle. In other words, the air blast must be within controlled limits, capable of dislodging the fibers but at the same time keeping them within the suction range of the vacuum nozzle. By so doing the fibers will not be blown off the card about the room but will be effectively sucked up by the vacuum nozzle.

If in Fig. 2, we consider the air blast nozzle and suction pipe as moving to the left with respect to the cylinder and card clothing, it is obvious that the air aimed at the wires from passage 38 will impinge on the wires thereunder from the quarter and the imbedded fibers dislodged thereby will be carried away by the vacuum nozzle. In due course, after the cylinder has made one or more revolutions depending upon the rate of movement of the nozzle along the cylinder, the wires originally engaged by the blast from passage 38 will be engaged by the blast from passage 40 and finally by the blast from passage 42. That is to say all of the wires of the clothing and the imbedded fibers are first engaged by an air blast that comes at the wires from one quarter, then by a blast that comes directly at the wires from the rear and finally by a blast that comes at the wires from the other quarter side. This successive application to each wire in the entire clothing of repeated high velocity blasts coming from three different directions results in a substantially perfect cleaning job with all of the imbedded fibers removed and with the wires clean and shiny. The cleanliness of the wires resulting from this type of cleaning will increase the hours of running time before the next stripping or cleaning operation is required.

In the preferred timing of the lateral movement of the cleaning nozzle to the rotations of the cylinder, there will be several revolutions of the cylinder, perhaps as many as six, before the wires initially passing under passage 38 are encountered by the air from passage 42. Thus, the wires first subjected to the blast from the left quarter coming from passage 38 are within range of this blast for two or three revolutions which produces an initial good cleaning effect. From the left side the cleaning effect on any given wire is gradually transferred to the blast from passage 40 and thereafter to the blast from passage 42. Thus, in this way each wire in the clothing is subjected to repeated applications of the high speed air blast from successive angles, thus insuring that all the imbedded fibers are completely removed.

It has been found that where the peripheral speed of the cylinder during cleaning is from 1400 to 2100 feet per minute a satisfactory air blast will be produced by having a source of compressed air at 90 pounds per square inch to be delivered through ports 38, 40 and 42 which have an approximate diameter of inch. The air blast thus delivered cooperates effectively with a vacuum nozzle having dimensions of approximately /8 x 2% inches and an effective vacuum or negative pressure equal to inches of mercury. The volume of air delivered through ports 38, 40 and 42 under the conditions just mentioned will be approximately 75 cubic feet per minute whereas the amount of air at atmospheric pressure that will be drawn into the vacuum nozzle 46 under a negative pressure of 15 inches of mercury will be approximately 500 cubic feet per minute. Thus, it will be seen that all of the high pressure air that is effective to dislodge the fibers from the wires will be drawn immediately into the vacuum nozzle along with the dislodged fibers. At the same time additional surrounding air will be drawn in laterally from all sides of the vacuum nozzle to give further assistance in dislodging and carrying the fibers to .the vacuum nozzle and in preventing undesired displacement of the fibers away from the vacuum nozzle.

The illustrations in Figs. 2 and 3 show the nozzles used with the wires shortened by the introduction of a felt 56 on the foundation. This is the type of card clothing construction in which the fibers have heretofore resisted dislodgrnent under ordinary vacuum cleaning means for the reason that the air being drawn into the vacuum nozzle has been unable to get under the fibers to produce any lifting action. Where the clothing is made without a felt, as illustrated in Fig. 5, the fibers may not be embedded in the wires so deeply as to rest on the foundation material and under such conditions a vacuum nozzle alone may in some instances be reasonably effective to clear the fibers from the wires.

However, even in the case of card clothing of the type shown in Fig. 5, vacuum alone has proved insufficient to dislodge with certainty particular types of fibers and especially when the embedding of the fibers has proceeded to a sufliciently great degree. For these reasons, the use of the nozzle of the present invention incorporating the air blast with the vacuum nozzle is a far more positive cleaning arrangement.

A further advantage which is incidental to the cleaning function of the nozzle is the effective cleaning of the wires themselves. This is due to the fact that the velocity of the air blast that causes initial dislodgement of the fibers is sufficient to blow any accumulated oil from the wires, the oil going along with the fibers into the vacuum nozzle. Thus, the clothing is not only cleaned of the fibers but the wires themselves are restored to a condition superior to that obtained by previous cleaning methods.

While illustrative sizes of air blast ports and vacuum nozzles have been given as well as pressures effective for use with these elements, it will be understood, now that the invention has been explained, that the dimensions of the parts may be varied along with corresponding changes in the compressed air supply and the negative pressure in the vacuum line so long as the air blast and vacuum function to remove the fibers in the manner explained.

The high pressure air may be supplied by individual nozzles grouped together and the number of nozzles may be varied to suit particular conditions. Converging nozzles are preferred but the invention is not to be limited to this arrangement.

While the vacuum nozzle has been illustrated as being used for cleaning the card clothing on a cylinder of the carding engine, it will be understood that it may be used for cleaning any of the other elements of a carding engine having card clothing thereon such as the workers, strippers, fancies and doffers. It may be used to clean any type of card clothing whether it be of the wire or garnet type. In the preferred arrangement the air blast is aimed in the direction of rotation of the unit being cleaned and must be in the general circumferential direction toward which the wires are inclined to produce the maximum freeing action. Furthermore, the vacuum nozzle must be on the side that is in the direction of the air blast so that the moving air will carry the dislodged fibers in the direction of the vacuum nozzle.

In the preceding explanation of the invention it has been explained that in the preferred arrangement the high velocity air blast is aimed in the direction toward which the outer ends of the wires of the card clothing are in clined and in the direction of rotation of the cylinder or other element that carries the clothing. Still it is to be understood that the clothing may be rotated in the reverse direction. That is, the clothing, instead of passing under the cleaning nozzle .as in the direction of the arrow shown in Figs. 1 and 3 may move in the opposite direction and the cleaning will take place with equally good results. The essential requirement is that the air blast be directed at an angle that will permit the embedded fibers to be freed from the wires. For this reason the slope of the wires with respect to the air blast must be as indicated. When the rotation of the cylinder is in the opposite direction, it may run at a much slower speed without militating against the effectiveness of the nozzle for the embedded fibers in such case will be coming toward the air blast rather'than moving in the same direction.

It is my intention to cover all changes and modifications of the example of the invention herein chosen for purposes of the disclosure which do not constitute de- 85 partures from the spirit and scope of the invention.

I claim:

1. The method of cleaning card clothing in a carding machine while the cylindrical element carrying said clothing is rotated, comprising the steps of simultaneously directing a plurality of individual air blasts at said clothing in converging directions with respect to each other and with their immediate areas of impact with said clothing being spaced apart, moving said air blasts together longitudinally of said element, the plane of said air blasts being in the direction of a chord of said element and in the general circumferential direction toward which the outer ends of the wires of said clothing are inclined, said air blasts having a velocity in excess of the peripheral speed of said element and being of sufiicient force to continuously dislodge fibers from said clothing as said element rotates, one of said air blasts being directed at one side of the passing wires of said clothing and another of said air blasts being directed at the other side of the same said wires after a plurality of rotations of said element to cause complete removal of fibers from said clothing and cleaning of said wires and simultaneously providing a negative pressure area close to said moving clothing and in circumferential alignment with said air blasts at a position where the fibers being dislodged by said air blast will be carried away by air entering said negative pressure area.

2. The method of cleaning card clothing as set forth in claim 1, the velocity of said air blast being insufficient to scatter the dislodged fibers beyond the area in which the said negative pressure is elfective to carry said dislodged fibers away.

3. The method of cleaning card clothing as set forth in claim 1, said air blast being aimed in the direction of rotation of said cylindrical element.

4. The method of cleaning card clothing as set forth in claim 1, said air blast being aimed in the direction opposed to the direction of rotation of said cylindrical element.

5. The method of cleaning card clothing as set forth in claim 1, said air blast and negative pressure area being traversed across the face of said cylindrical element while said element is rotating.

6. That method of cleaning card clothing comprising the steps of directing a strong concentrated air blast aimed at a substantial sidewise angle at one side of a circumferential row of wires of said clothing as said clothing is rotated under said air blast, said air blast being of sufiicient strength to dislodge imbedded fibers from said wires at the constantly changing area of impingment of said blast and subsequently applying a strong concentrated air blast aimed at a substantial sidewise angle in the opposite direction from said first air blast against the other side of said wires after said card clothing has rotated one or more times to dislodge any remaining fibers from said Wires, and simultaneously providing a negative pressure area close to said moving card clothing and said air blasts at a position where the fibers dislodged by said air blasts will be carried away by air entering said negative pressure area.

7. That method of cleaning card clothing as set forth in claim 6 in which the said air blasts are in a plane sloping toward the surface of said card clothing in a direction opposite to slope of the ends of said wires.

8. That method of cleaning card clothing as set forth in claim 6 and in which another strong concentrated air blast is applied to said wires at an area intermediate the areas of the said two first air blasts, all said air blasts impinging against the surface of said card clothing in the general circumferential direction toward which the ends of said wires are inclined.

9. That method of cleaning card clothing comprising the steps of simultaneously applying two strong concen trated air blasts to the wires of said clothing while said clothing is rotating thereunder, the areas of impingement of said air blasts on said clothing being spaced, one of said air blasts being directed at an angle to engage against one side of said wires and the other of said air blasts being aimed in a corresponding opposite direction to engage against the opposite side of said wires, moving said air blasts from one side of said clothing to the other so that the wires that are initially engaged by the leading of said air blasts will not be engaged by the other of said air blasts until a plurality of revolutions of said card clothing has occurred whereby said wires will be thoroughly cleaned and all fibers removed by the successive application of said air plasts from opposite directions and simultaneously providing a negative pressure area close to said moving clothing and said air blasts at a position where the fibers dislodged by said air blasts will be carried away by air entering said negative pressure area.

10. A cleaning nozzle for cleaning card clothing on a cylinder of a carding machine comprising a high pressure nozzle and a vacuum nozzle, said high pressure nozzle having discharge ports located in a plane which if extended through said cylinder would define a chord thereof and said ports also being aimed in the general circumferential direction toward which the outer ends: of the wires of said card clothing are inclined and in a converging direction with respect to each other and a vacuum nozzle fixed with respect to said high pressure nozzle and located in a position where fibers dislodged by said high pressure air will be drawn into said vacuum nozzle.

ll. A cleaning nozzle for cleaning card clothing of a carding machine as set forth in claim 10, the said discharge ports being aimed for directing high velocity air in the direction of rotation of the card clothing being cleaned.

12. A cleaning nozzle for cleaning card clothing of a carding machine as set forth in claim 10, said discharge ports being aimed for directing high velocity air in the direction opposed to the direction of rotation of the said card clothing being cleaned.

13. Means for cleaning card clothing of a carding machine comprising a combined high pressure and vacuum nozzle, said high pressure nozzle comprising a distributing block, a source of high pressure air connected with said distributing block, said distributing block having a plurality of ports aimed slopingly downwardly in the general circumferential direction toward which the outer ends of the wires of said card clothing are inclined, said ports converging toward each other to produce a concentrated air blast against said clothing effective to dislodge embedded fibers over a unit area and a vacuum nozzle wider than the unit area on which said air blast is efiectlve, said vacuum nozzle being on the side of said high pressure nozzle toward which said ports are directed.

l4. Means for cleaning the card clothing of a carding machine comprising a plurality of high pressure air nozz les aimed at said clothing in the general circumferential d rection toward which the outer ends of the wire of sa1d clothing are inclined, two of said nozzles also being aimed in converging directions toward each other whereby one of said two nozzles will apply a cleaning force to one side of the wires of said clothing passing thereunder and the other of said two nozzles will apply a cleaning force to the other side of the same said wires when they thereafter pass thereunder, said air nozzles providing means for substantially uniformly dislodging fibers that may be imbedded in said clothing over the entire area against which air from said nozzles impinges, a vacuum nozzle on the side of said air nozzles toward which they are directed and so located that when suiticient negative pressure is present in said vacuum nozzle substantially all of said dislodged fibers will be drawn into said vacuum nozzle.

15. Means for cleaning the card clothing of a carding machine comprising a source of compressed air, a plurality of high pressure nozzles and a vacuum nozzle, said high pressure nozzles aimed to direct high velocity air emitted therefrom slopingly toward said card clothing in the general circumferential direction toward which the outer ends of the wires of said clothing are inclined, two of said nozzles also being aimed in converging directions toward each other whereby one of said two nozzles will apply a cleaning force to one side of the wires of said clothing passing thereunder and the other of said two nozzles will apply a cleaning force to the other side of the same said wires when they thereafter pass there under, said high velocity air being directed to impinge against said card clothing substantially uniformly over an area that is wider than it is long and with sufficient force to dislodge fibers imbedded in said clothing as the clothing moves past said air nozzle, said vacuum nozzle positioned close to and in circumferential alignment with said area, means for providing a negative pressure within said vacuum nozzle of sufiicient degree to draw therein substantially all of the fibers dislodged by said high velgcity air while said card clothing is passing thereun er.

16. The combination of an element of a carding machine in which said element rotates and is covered with card clothing, a cleaning nozzle and means for causing said cleaning nozzle to move across the surface of said card clothing and closely adjacent thereto as said element rotates, said cleaning nozzle comprising a high pressure nozzle and a vacuum nozzle, said high pressure nozzle having passages for directing streams of high velocity air at a limited area of said card clothing closely positioned thereunder While moving thereby, one of said nozzle passages directed laterally to engage one side of the Wires 0 passing thereunder and another of said nozzle passages directed laterally to engage the other side of the same said wires when they thereafter pass thereunder, said vacuum nozzle fixed with respect to said high pressure nozzle at a position Where fibers dislodged from clothing passing thereunder by the said high pressure air Will be drawn into and carried off by said vacuum nozzle.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,293,798 Kestner Feb. 11, 1919 FOREIGN PATENTS 3,180 Great Britain of 1901 148,614 Great Britain July 22, 1920 

